Mineral Resources of the Citico Creek Wilderness
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STU DIES REL ATED TO W IL D ERN ESS Mineral Re so urces o f the i r k Wild rn s s Stud Ar a Cit co C ee e e y e , Mo nro Co unt T nn s s e y , e e ee B I F J H F K and E . O E U E I VEY n O . S . S . G O OG C S U a d y N LAC R C R RC , L AL R , B E U OF MINES P U T BEHUM D B WI I MS U . S . U A L . and BRADFOR . LL A , R A S T U D I E S R E L A T E D T O W I L D E R N E SS — W I L D E R N E S S A R E A S G E O L O G I C A L S U R V E Y B U L L E T I N 1 5 5 2 An eva lua tio n of the minera l p o tentia l of the a rea UN ITED STATES GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON ‘ 1 984 , DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR K ecreta WI I M . C S r LL A P LAR , y I SU VEY S . EO O C U . G L G AL R k Directo r s . ec Dalla L P , Library o f Co ngress Cat alo gi ng in Publicatio n Dat a Main entry under title : T nn M n n M n . a W a a Co . i er l resources of the Citico Creek ilder ess study re , o roe , e essee n 1 5 2 U . S . Geological Survey bulleti 5 a Bibliogr phy: p . no . : Supt of Docs . I 1 M — T n — n a a . n and n n . S i es mi eral resources e essee Citico Creek Wilder ess I l ck, J ck n 1 552 . F . II . Series . Geological Survey bulleti E B n — 75 9 o . 1 2 22 0 Q , 55 6 8 83 60006 Fo r s ale b th e i st r ib u ti o n Bran c U . S . eo o i ca Su r e y D h , G l g l v y , 604 So u t i cket t Street ex a n dri a VA 2 304 h P , Al , 2 STUDIES RELATED TO WILDERNESS In accordance with the provision s of the Wildern ess Act L aw 88— 5 77 S 3 1 964 a nd a a and (Public , eptember , ) rel ted cts s fi a na b u L aw 93—622 an a 3 a speci c lly desig ted y P blic , J u ry , M n S a nd U . S . a S . a 1 975 U . , the Geologic l urvey Bure u of i es have been conductin g min eral survey s ofwilderness and prim i i S and all a a a t ve area s . tudies reports of primitive re s h ve ' ' f fi a a as n n . a n bee completed Are s o ci lly desig ted wilder ess , ' ' ' a n n wa s a i ncor o wild, or c oe whe the Act p ssed were p n N a na n a n S an d rated i to the tio l Wilder ess Preserv tio y stem , n u The some of them are presently bei g st died . Act provided that areas under con sideration for Wildern ess designation should be studied for suitability for incorporation into the Wil Th e n a n one a dern ess Sy stem . mi er l survey s co stitute spect of T r a the suitability studies . his repo t discusses the results of n a n S r a i n mi er l survey ofthe Citico Creek Wilder ess tudy A e , N a na M n n T nn . a the Cherokee tio l Forest, o roe Cou ty , e , th t is n n n na n 93-622 bei g co sidered for wilder ess desig tio (PL , an a 3 J u ry , CONTENTS Introduction Loca tion a nd description La n d sta tus Previou s work Present investigations Ackn owledgments Geology Stra tigraphy and lithology Structure Folds Faults Cleava ge a nd jointing Metamorphism Geochemica l survey S a mpling a nd a na ly tical techn iques Strea m-sedimen t samples Panned concen trates Soil samples Rock samples Q uartz veins a nd gossa n Ra diometric survey Min era l appra isa l Metallic resources Copper Gold Iron N onmeta llic resources Sla te Graphite Ston e Silica S an d a nd gravel Barite Oil a nd ga s Referen ces cited VI CONTENTS ILLUSTRATIONS T 1 i ma an d n n PLA E . Geolog c p sectio s of the Citico Creek Wilder ess a n un T n n I S M . n tudy Are , o roe Co ty , e pocket 2 S a a a n S u . mple loc lity m ps of the Citico Creek Wilder ess t dy T nn — a M n n . In Are , o roe Cou ty , e pocket In dex map ofCitico Creek Wilderness Study Area and vicin ity Photographs showin g 2 . T a a n n u a ypic l view lo g Citico Creek , showi g o tcrops of met san dston e and met acongl omerat e ofunit III a - n D 3 . S a oublecam n m ll step fold exposed lo g p Creek , withi met as andst on e and sla te ofun it II 4 n met a ra wacke nd n n . Co torted beds of g y a thi i terbeds of dark slate exposed along new roadcut at S a ssafra ss Ridge a - 5 . Typic l view of bedding cleavage relation s within unit IV sla tes Map showin g location s ofbarium-rich rocks Photograph showin g thin lamina tions of sulfide minerals (ma inly n a a a n a t a Ga pyrite) withi d rk gr phitic sl te of u it V , E gle p roadcut M n 8. ap showi g gold distribution i n the Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area and vicinity TABLES T B Ran nd n a u i n a 1 . a a n A LE ge medi v l es for selected eleme ts s mples of soil , a n a nd ann n n a i n 1 976 stre m sedime t , p ed co ce tr te collected from the n S a M n n T nn Citico Creek Wilder ess tudy Are , o roe Cou ty , e . 2 Ran and an a n in 1 2 - . ge medi v lues for selected eleme ts 9 rock chip samples collected in 1 976 from the Citico Creek Wilderness Study a M n n T nn Are , o roe Cou ty, e . a a n n 3 . Parti l alyses of selected samples of vein quartz a d gossan collected in 1 976 n S a M n from the Citico Creek Wilder ess tudy Are , o roe Ra a an and an a u in a a dio ctivity r ges me v l es rocks ofthe Citico Creek re , grouped by lithologic map un it 5 . n n a n U a n d Th in a n Co ce tr tio s of selected rock s mples of u it V , Citico Creek area n n 6 . Gold co te t of sa mples from the Citico Creek Wilderness Study Area a a n a 7 . Cer mic ev luatio ofsl tes ST UDIES RELAT ED T O W I LDERNESS MI N ER AL R ESO U RCES O F T H E CI T I CO CR EEK WI L D ER N ESS ST U DY AR EA , MON R O E CO U N T Y , T EN N ESSEE By S R S . G O OG U n F U . F S a d ER . O R OHN . J LACK IC R CE , E L ICAL VEY , an d B RE M N S W MS . S . U U P B M an d BR O R B . U AU L T . EHU ADF D ILLIA , A of I E SU MMARY ' The proposed Citico Creek Wilderness comprises about acres km ) in the Cherokee N ation al Forest south of the Little Tennessee River in ea stern most Monroe n nn n n nd D bl cam R T . a a a are a ou e . Cou ty , e Pri cip l dr i ges Citico Creek p Creek ocks of u a a n reenschi st -a a met as a ndst one meta ra wa cke the st dy re i clude g f cies rkosic , g y , d met ac n l m rat u Z e M n a an o o e e a S a . sl te , g of the Gre t moky Gro p of Proterozoic g i or u n n a na u u a n a deposits of co solidated Q u ter ry a ll vi m locally m tle the bedrock . Deform t n n n io is expressed by a sy mmetric a d overtur ed folds and by several major faults .